We Need More Than Just Resistance

How could progressives and the mainstream media be so far off in their estimation of the 2024 election results? We have almost as many analyses flying at us from all directions as we had funding request texts before the election. One thing is clear — Kamala Harris’s loss was the fault of and a loss for the Democratic Party establishment. It was a systemic, cataclysmic loss, not a matter of a few details here and there.

There are two big reasons Harris lost so dramatically. Her platform of fear of the loss of democracy, Project 25, and an unstable, vicious president — did not resonate with rural, blue-collar, young, swing state voters, and people of color — basically everyone except the Democratic Party elites. Trump got almost the same number of votes that he did in 2020, 74 million versus 73 million. Harris drew only 69 million votes versus Biden’s 81 million in 2020. Trump was far more pragmatic in his fear-mongering.

The second reason is that America has left behind huge swaths of citizens as the nation’s overall economy has grown dramatically. You can feel it in the ever-growing income stratification in the country. In 2023, the top 10% of Americans have an average wealth of $6.7 million. The bottom 50% had less than 1% of that, $50,000. Guys like Musk skew the number, but the minimum wealth of the top 5% is still $3.8 million. And CEO income in America, 50x the average worker in 1985, is now 350x higher.

David Brooks has it right in his “Voters to Elites: Do You See Me Now?” piece in the NYTimes on Tuesday, November 6. Government has been co-opted by the wealthy who skew the system to their advantage. These mostly white, older, well-educated, well-connected people embody economic privilege. Mainstream Americans keep voting the party in power out, always seeking economic justice. 

Harris lost because she did not have a vision for America that made people a priority. Americans have deep, valid grievances. We need to listen and respond, or we’ll keep going through the batwing doors. Addressing those grievances wouldn’t be hard or costly. Just invest in people. Subsidize grade school education and pay for community college for any adult who wants to go. Provide daycare in low-income communities. Paid on a comprehensive basis of income and wealth. Make life better for most Americans.  

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) brought us out of the Great Depression by focusing on people. It resulted in decades of mostly Democratic control of government. Absent a miracle, the next chance to fix things at the federal level will be in 2026. We’ll need some resistance until then, but mostly we should work on a vision and plan for a just, thriving, safe future for Americans.

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